While helping cover a shift at work today, I helped a gentleman and his daughter from Georgia. She was the epitome of "perfect".

The women who catch my eye are rarely the drop dead gorgeous supermodel chic hipsters but the down-to-earth quiet ones who have that mischievous smirk just under the surface of their smile. The woman from Georgia looked the part of a woman from the Northwest -- short blond hair, North Face fleece, jeans, low-rise hiking boots and had dimples to die for. But the clincher? Her smooth as silk southern accent. If it wasn't for her father standing next to her, I would have immediately asked her to forget her past and run away with me.

But alas, it was not to be. She took her ticket, said thanks, and all I was able to get out was "Can I help the next person in line?"

In June of 2002, I had a sleepless night in which I could not shake the feeling that I would never have a girlfriend again. The next morning I resolved to take action. The Date Project was born.

The Date Project had three criteria:

One
Everyday I would start a conversation with three people I did not know.

Two
Twice a week I would put myself in a place to meet new people.

Three
I would ask one woman out a week.

I posted the site anonymously so that I could be more honest and actually say things without feeling as if I would be held accountable for them later. In the course of writing, I was set up with a co-worker of a friend and we hit it off. I stopped writing the blog because I did not want to discuss our relationship with thousands of people without her knowledge. Later on during the course of our relationship, she discovered the blog and was generally pleased.

We have since broken up and I wonder if it is time to start something anew. I am not quite ready to actively look for someone but I think I might work on getting myself out more. So Phases One and Two of The Date Project may be coming soon to a blog near you. I won't document them as I had but will post things on occasion.